Global Courant
By the end of 2022, about one in four U.S. adults and older teens had still not contracted COVID-19, according to new federal data.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been tracking seroprevalence — antibodies in the blood — by collecting samples nationwide from blood donors between January and December 2022.
The data suggests that 77.5% of those aged 16 and older had antibodies against COVID-19 infection by the end of 2022, according to the agency final estimateswhich is higher than the estimate of 48.8% at the beginning of the year.
Meanwhile, when people who had antibodies, either from infection, from vaccination, or a combination of the two, were counted, the CDC estimated that this is about 96.7% of the population.
When it came to age groups, seniors 65 and older had the lowest estimated percentage of people with antibodies from previous infection at 56.5% and teens and young adults aged 16 to 29 had the highest rate at 87.1%.
Percentage of Americans with COVID-19 antibodies from infection
CDC
Only 47 states and the District of Columbia had seroprevalence data, showing that Vermont had the lowest percentage of estimated residents with infection-induced antibodies at 64.4% and Iowa had the highest at 90.6%.
There were no major differences between men and women, with an estimated 79.3% and 75.7% antibodies to infection, respectively.
Among racial/ethnic groups, Asian Americans had the lowest estimated rate of infection-induced antibodies at 66.1% and Hispanic Americans had the highest rate at 80.6%.
“Despite the fact that the different COVID variants are so incredibly contagious, it is not surprising that at the end of last year only three-quarters – plus a little bit – of our population had had an infection and that may be a bit surprising,” she said. Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told ABC News.
Experts said there are a few reasons why Americans may not have contracted COVID-19 yet, including the fact that they need to live more diligently with mitigations such as wearing a mask and living in a more rural area.
“We have a large rural population in the United States and this virus may not have reached everyone who lives in a less populated part of the country,” Schaffner said. “Obviously if you live in big cities where you meet people, there will be a lot more opportunities for transmission.”
Experts added that it is also a reminder of the importance of vaccination and that it is not too late to get an injection for those who have yet to do so.
In April, the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration simplified the vaccination schedule to recommend everyone ages 6 and older receive an updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of whether they previously completed their monovalent primary series.
In addition, in June the FDA’s Vaccine Advisory Committee recommended that vaccine makers update their COVID booster shots to target XBB.1.5, the most common strain in the US.
Shoppers, some wearing masks, visit a market in Los Angeles on July 14, 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told ABC News that the simplified schedule is especially important as we approach fall and colder weather, when cases typically tend to increase.
“It’s not too late to be open-minded about protection, especially as one in four is not a small number,” he said. “Many people have already been naturally exposed, but we know that (antibodies) will decrease over time, and it’s probably a good idea to get at least one recent injection… Simplification is the name of the game. “
